Thesis submitted to satisfy requirements of the doctoraal degree program in Information

Acknowledgements I would like to take this opportunity to thank several people who have enabled me to prepare, start, continue and finish this thesis. These people are, of course, my supervisor Prof. Dr. Ing. John Nerbonne, who allowed me to start this project, which deals with a topic I feel very passionate about. I thank him for his clear guidance, hands-on approach, tips and pointers in addition to forcing me to work in a more structured manner than I sometimes felt I was able to; I learned some valuable lessons. Dr. Carl Vogel, the second reader and my supervisor at Trinity College, has also been instrumental in my learning to look more critical at my own work. Carl, I look forward to the rest of the time we can work together. On a more personal level, several people have influenced and supported me in very different and positive ways as well.